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WHAT NEXT? SASC’s $631.4 billion defense authorization bill was approved by the committee yesterday in a unanimous vote and now heads to the Senate floor, where it’s expected to be considered in June or July.

THE NUMBERS -- SASC’s bill lines up with the funding levels put forward by the president and is about $4 billion below the levels authorized by the House. The stage is now set for a battle between the two chambers as they hash out that difference.

But ... the battle will undoubtedly be overshadow by a larger showdown over taxes and social programs -- and sequestration.

From a 33-page press release summarizing SASC’s proposal: “The bill authorizes $498.0 million more than was requested for the base budget of DOD and $301.0 million less than was requested for OCO. The bill authorizes $431.0 million less than the requested level of funding for national security programs of the DOE.”

WINNERS AND LOSERS -- The bill includes about 150 changes to the president’s budget request, which means there were quite a few winners and losers. Here’s our list of the top five of both:

Winner #1: The Air National Guard. The Air Guard’s response to the president’s proposed cuts could double as a lesson in how to wield power and influence on the Hill. A lobbying push by guard leaders and state governors first convinced the House -- and now, it appears, the Senate -- to completely reject the president’s request to reduce the size of the Air Guard. SASC’s bill would prohibit the Air Force from retiring or transferring aircraft assigned to the Air Guard, and sets aside $1.4 billion to keep the guard running at its current strength. “Never underestimate the influence of the National Guard,” McCain said at a press conference yesterday.

Winner #2: TRICARE. On this issue, SASC members and their House colleagues see eye to eye: Let’s not make veterans’ groups mad. SASC’s bill denies the president’s request to increase fees for the military health care program, although the bill does allow some changes to the program’s copayment system. The Military Officers Association of America’s “Storming the Hill” campaign, which last month drew about 150 of the association’s members to Washington, seems to have paid off.

Winner #3: Tanks. The president’s budget request would have temporarily shut down the production line for the M1 Abrams tank, which is made in Ohio. But both the House and Senate bills would keep the lines open -- at a minimum production capacity. The Senate bill would authorize $91 million for 33 additional tanks.

Winner #4: DOD IG. The bill would give an additional $59.1 million to the Pentagon’s Inspector General. SASC’s press release notes that the Inspector General’s investigations resulted in an estimated savings of $2.6 billion in FY 11.

Winner #5: Special Operations Command. USSOCOM was the only command within the Pentagon to submit an unfunded requirements “wish” list to Congress. And SASC readily obliged -- to the tune of $159 million. That money will buy “additional high-def intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance” sensors.

A ZERO-SUM WORLD -- Where there are winners, there must also be losers. Here’s the list of our top five:

Loser #1: Alternative energy. The Defense Department’s plan to wean itself off fossil fuels is under fire -- and might not survive the authorization process. It appears not even the Democratic-controlled SASC supports the Pentagon’s alternative-energy initiatives. SASC’s bill -- just like the House version -- would severely limit the military’s ability to purchase alternative fuels. The bill also prohibits the Pentagon from entering into biofuels contracts without authorization from Congress.

Mabus, who has made biofuels one of his top priorities, responded to a question last week from Morning Defense about the House proposal by saying, “It’s early in the legislative process.” Still, things are not looking good for his “Great Green Fleet.”

Loser #2: East Coast missile shield. The House bill authorizes $100 million to begin planning a missile-defense shield on the East Coast of the United States. The Senate bill does not include these funds. There will undoubtedly be a showdown over this issue during the reconciliation process.

Loser #3: BRAC. Both SASC and the House have now refused the president’s request to begin two new rounds of base closures. It looks like the plan is dead -- for now. “In the past, DoD has had to make repeated requests before it finally gets a BRAC round,” Dorothy Robyn, deputy undersecretary of defense for installations and environment, said on Wednesday, according to Federal Times.

Loser #4: Civilian workers. The bill calls for the Pentagon to cut its civilian workforce by 5 percent over five years. McCain yesterday said the workforce had grown by 16 percent since 2007 and that the proposed reductions would save about $5 billion.

Loser #5: Joseph Kony. The outrage sparked by a viral video about the African warlord is yielding results in Congress. SASC’s bill would allocate $50 million to fund the military’s efforts to support Central African troops who are trying to put an end to Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army. The Pentagon’s name for this mission? Operation Observant Compass.

WHO DID WE LEAVE OFF THE LIST? Send your top winners and losers -- along with brief explanations -- to awright@politico.com. Oh, and welcome to Morning Defense, where we’re always on the lookout for tips, pitches and feedback. Follow us on Twitter @morningdefense and @abwrig

PROGRAMMING NOTE -- There will be no Morning Defense on Memorial Day. We’ll see you back here bright and early on Tuesday.

TRIVIA TIME -- When Memorial Day was established in 1868, what was it called? Bonus: The first large observance of Memorial Day, held that year, occurred where? For the answers, read on.

WHY SAVE FOR TOMORROW ... The Pentagon has repeatedly said it hasn’t started planning for sequestration, the hundreds of billions of dollars in defense cuts set to begin taking effect at the start of next year.

... WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY? But SASC’s bill would require the Pentagon to submit a “detailed report” to Congress on how the reductions, which Panetta has called “catastrophic,” would impact the military. “The American people have a right to know how the administration will go about making these cuts,” Kelly Ayotte, who pushed the provision, said in a statement.

MORE TIDBITS FROM SASC’S NDAA --

-- Indefinite detention: Levin, at yesterday’s press conference: “What we didn’t do is address the detainee issue. I fully expect that to be raised on the floor by Senator Udall again, and I would predict we will have a couple of days of vigorous debate on the floor of the Senate on the issue of detainees.”

-- Abortion: The bill “would allow the military to fund abortions in cases of rape and incest,” reports Cid Standifer, of Military Times. “Under current law, the Defense Department provides abortion care to military women only when their lives are in danger,” Standifer writes. “There are no exemptions for cases of rape or incest.” http://bit.ly/Mx1qdL

-- Pakistan: Under the bill, “funds to Pakistan would be restricted until the country opens up its supply lines to Afghanistan, which have been closed since November, when NATO forces killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in an airstrike,” reports Kate Brannen, of Defense News. http://bit.ly/KIaB9E

WHO’S WHERE WHEN -- Dempsey speaks at 11 a.m. at the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Good Grief Camp.

TOMORROW -- Biden delivers the commencement address at West Point. Expected to attend: McHugh and Odierno.

NOTE -- In yesterday’s Morning Defense, we told you Panetta would be on that evening’s “NBC Nightly News.” But Panetta’s interview with Brian Williams was canceled, and the defense secretary did not appear yesterday on the show. The reason for the cancelation? Panetta’s schedule was affected by inclement weather, an NBC representative tells us.

SPEED READ --

-- POLITICO, “GOP hits back at Reid threat on sequester,” by Scott Wong: “Sen. Harry Reid’s refusal to ‘back off’ looming cuts to the Pentagon won’t just harm the nation’s security, Republicans say. It could plunge the fragile U.S. economy back into a recession next year. GOP defense hawks struck back at the Senate majority leader Thursday for insisting he won’t stave off or delay $600 billion in automatic defense cuts unless Republicans budge on new revenues.” http://politi.co/KPokyN

-- The Washington Post (o-ed), “The Iranian view on how to strike a deal,” by David Ignatius: “The more the West has tried to squeeze Iran, the more the Iranians have done precisely the things that infuriate the West. That may be because they’re determined to acquire nuclear-weapons capability, or because they resist pressure tactics. Either way, recent efforts to constrain Iran haven’t worked.” http://wapo.st/KldeyM

-- Marine Corps Times, “General restricts war-zone photography,” by Dan Lamothe: “CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan -- “Marine commanders in Afghanistan have cracked down on war-zone photography in the wake of two international scandals this year in which U.S. troops were depicted posing with dead Taliban fighters. Rank-and-file personnel assigned to Regional Command Southwest, headquartered here in Helmand province, have been ordered to take photographs only for official purposes while outside the wire, said Maj. Gen. Charles Gurganus.” http://bit.ly/Mx4nLe

-- POLITICO, “Pakistan doctor fallout: Less aid,” by David Rogers: “Angered by the prosecution of a Pakistani doctor for helping the CIA locate Osama bin Laden, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted Thursday to cut another $33 million from an already much-reduced military aid package: $1 million for each of the physician’s 33-year prison sentence. The 30-0 roll call followed a brief but often bitter discussion that underscored the deteriorating relationship between Washington and the Islamabad government, which remains an important ally in the war in Afghanistan.” http://politi.co/KkEbmC

-- USA TODAY, “Propaganda firm owner admits attacks on journalists,” by Gregory Korte: “The co-owner of a major Pentagon propaganda contractor publicly admitted Thursday that he was behind a series of websites used to discredit two USA TODAY journalists who had reported on the contractor. The online ‘misinformation campaign,’ first reported last month, has raised questions about whether the Pentagon or its contractors had turned its propaganda operations against U.S. citizens.” http://usat.ly/KjfyGB

-- POLITICO (op-ed), “Stop wasting money on MEADS,” by former Rep. Bob Barr: “In concept, this defense system was to provide a platform that would eventually replace the aging Patriot missile. In reality, the project has been plagued with massive cost overruns. Even the Pentagon has concluded the system can never be made to work properly and, therefore, cannot be deployed. Still, it lives on.” http://politi.co/JfVTF7

TOP TWEET -- John Bennett, of U.S.News & World Report: “How can ppl work in DC so long and still refer to an authorization bill as a budget?” @BennettJohnT

TRIVIA ANSWERS -- Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. The first large observance occurred in 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery. From the VA’s website:

“Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.” http://1.usa.gov/OEzgq

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Readers' Comments (2)

The BIGGEST LOSERS in the SASC were the 23,000 military children with autism rejected behind closed doors. When no one was watching.

Currently, TRICARE military healthcare provides less than half the recommended treatments for autism, and only to children of active duty service members.

Service members who retire after more than twenty years and Wounded Warriors forced to medically retire are stripped of what little treatment TRICARE allows via the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO).

On Thursday, May 17, 2012, Congressman John Larson took to the House floor armed with embarrassingly large photos of our little family and made the case for Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act to be included as an amendment to the FY2013 NDAA. It worked, because for Mr. Larson, this had become personal. It worked because Rep. Tom Rooney had the courage to walk up to Chairman Buck McKeon and tell him it was personal. Mr. Rooney has two nephews with autism. Mr. McKeon did the right thing, because now he understood, it was personal. The amendment passed as part of the NDAA in the House.

Senator Gillibrand attempted this past week to do the same in the Senate Armed Services Committee markup session. The amendment was rejected behind closed doors.

It is time for SASC to be asked publicly about our military children. Let's see what they say when people ARE watching and listening.

Best,

Mrs. Rachel E. Kenyon Wife to Command Sergeant Major William W. Kenyon Mother of two beautiful babes – one with autism.

The BIGGEST LOSERS in the SASC were the 23,000 military children with autism rejected behind closed doors. When no one was watching.

Currently, TRICARE military healthcare provides less than half the recommended treatments for autism, and only to children of active duty service members.

Service members who retire after more than twenty years and Wounded Warriors forced to medically retire are stripped of what little treatment TRICARE allows via the Extended Care Health Option (ECHO).

On Thursday, May 17, 2012, Congressman John Larson took to the House floor armed with embarrassingly large photos of our little family and made the case for Caring for Military Kids with Autism Act to be included as an amendment to the FY2013 NDAA. It worked, because for Mr. Larson, this had become personal. It worked because Rep. Tom Rooney had the courage to walk up to Chairman Buck McKeon and tell him it was personal. Mr. Rooney has two nephews with autism. Mr. McKeon did the right thing, because now he understood, it was personal. The amendment passed as part of the NDAA in the House.

Senator Gillibrand attempted this past week to do the same in the Senate Armed Services Committee markup session. The amendment was rejected behind closed doors.

What will SASC say when publicly asked about our military children not getting the medical standard of care for autism?

Best,

Mrs. Rachel E. Kenyon Wife to Command Sergeant Major William W. Kenyon Mother of two beautiful babes – one with autism.